


Sanders' Orphanage

by 221b_quote



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Adoption, Anxiety, Bullying, Depression, M/M, Middle School, Orphanage, Orphans, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2019-10-07 02:00:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17356814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/221b_quote/pseuds/221b_quote
Summary: Patton, Logan, and Roman are all orphans in Thomas' care. When a new boy joins their little family he'll find love and help them with their problems, including an unrelenting bully.ft. Teacher Joan, Guardian Thomas, Neighbor Remy, Therapist Emile, Bully Deceit, and Police Officer Talyn.





	1. The Arrivals

**Author's Note:**

> so this was originally posted to tumblr but I'm posting it here for hopefully better formatting and easier access.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How each side came to live at the orphanage.

You need to tell someone.

“No i don’t. I can handle myself.”

No you can’t. Call them. CALL THEM NOW!

“No, I can’t. I can’t call them. He’ll find out, and then it will be worse.”

He already ignores you. He won’t even notice.

“Fine.” Virgil reached for the phone. “This once, if it doesn’t work, will be the last time.”

He dialled the three numbers on his landline. He couldn’t afford a cell phone and his parents would never even think to buy him one.

“911, what is your emergency?” the too cheery lady asked.

Oh, how Virgil hated calling people.

“Um…” Virgil trailed.

“Yes, son? Are you hiding from someone?” she asked more concerned this time.

“Yeah, I’m in my room. My parents are in the living room,” Virgil kept his voice as low as possible. “They neglect and abuse me.”

“Okay. Stay where you are and on the line. We’re sending a few officers your way. What’s your address?”

“21st and Maple Street, apartment 2b.”

“Officers will be there soon. Don’t worry.”

10 minutes later two officers came and arrested Virgil’s parents.

Virgil stayed at the precinct for a few nights before the police found find a place for him. When they finally did, Virgil was sent to Sander’s Orphanage. Upon ringing the doorbell a boy his height opened the door. He wore a light blue polo with a grey cardigan around his shoulders and thick black rimmed glasses on his nose. The boy squealed loudly and launched at Virgil. The boy wrapped his arms around Virgil’s neck and hugged him. After a few seconds he pulled back with a wide smile.

“Come in! Come in! I’m Patton! Logan! Roman! Thomas! Someone’s here!” The boy squealed again. Virgil stepped into the hallway of the building.  
Coming towards Virgil and Patton from down the hallway was a boy in a black polo with a dark blue and black striped tie and the same glasses as Patton. He looked slightly mad which made Virgil flinch when he started yelling down the hallway.

“This better be important Patton. I was in the middle of reading up on some science that was very interesting!”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Virgil said when the boy stopped in front of them.

“It’s really fine, I guess. If there is someone new I like to know. Thank you Patton, calling us down here was a logical thing to do.”

Patton lit up and brought his hands to his cheeks. “Are you proud of me, Logan?”

“If you must phrase it that way, then yes.”

“Logan, what did the cell say to his sister cell when she stepped on his foot?” Patton asked excitedly.

“That’s absurd, Patton. Cells can’t talk, nor step-” Logan tried to reason, but Patton cut him off.

“Ouch, mitosis!” Patton yelled. Virgil had to hold back his laughter at Logan’s expression. 

After a few seconds the smart boy pulled himself together and turned to Virgil, “What is your name?”

“Virgil.”

The boy hummed and nodded his head. Before he could state whatever he wanted to another boy came rushing down the hallway. This one wore a white shirt with a red scarf tied across his chest. He held a plastic sword was laughing. 

“Crap! Nowhere to run! I can’t let the Dragon-witch catch me! She’ll tear my gorgeous eyes out!”

“Oh, Roman, always the dramatic,” a tall man said as he followed the handsome boy. He wore a black shirt that said the phrase ‘COULD BE GAYER’. “Hello young man! You must be Virgil. I’m Thomas and this prince here is Roman. Follow me I’ll show you to your room and give you the grand tour.”

Virgil didn’t know why, but he suddenly got a jolt of anxiety. He followed anyway. 

“The first door on your left is Patton’s room. On your right is Roman’s. At the end of the hallway to the left is a bathroom. Turn right and you find the living room,” the living room had a brown leather couch, a coffee table, and a television.

“This is where we have movie night!” Patton informed Virgil.

“Yes, on Friday nights we all get together to watch a movie or two, so there will be one tonight for you to attend. Through here is the kitchen and dining room. This is the second hallway with Logan on the left, your bedroom on the right, another bathroom and my bedroom at the end. We’ll let you unpack and explore a little. Get a feel for the place. Dinner will be in about an hour,” Thomas smiled and Virgil excused himself to unpack.

***

Patton was crying. First his parents, now his grandma. Why? Why did all the adults in his life leave him? 

His parents had died when he was seven. His father and mother were drunk. They insisted on driving home anyway. Patton tried to stop them, but they wouldn’t listen. They crashed. His parents died. He lived. Sometimes he secretly wished he had died too. 

His grandma had been slowly slipping since he was eight. She started to forget him at school. He just started walking home. She couldn’t cook very well anymore. Patton learned for both of them. Then suddenly she didn’t answer when he tried to wake her up. She didn’t wake up again. He was twelve.  
A year later he would have an amazing family. A boy in a black hoodie with sewn on purple plaid patches would ring the bell just as he would do in a few minutes, but he didn’t know this. He was only twelve. So he kept on crying.

He cried as he rang the doorbell. He cried as the door opened. He cried as a boy in red walked him into the home, trying to cheer him up by telling him an epic tale of a prince and a so-called Dragon-witch. He cried as the man who ran the home came, hugged him, told him everything would be fine, and handed him a slice of pizza. He cried as another boy came and started telling him random facts about crying and tears. His crying only started to subside as the boy told him a dad joke that had him giggling for five minutes.

***

Logan hadn’t seen his parents in three weeks now. No calls. No texts. Nothing. So he did what any sensible nine year old did and ran away. His parents were only ever home one day a month, and he hadn’t said more than three sentences to them in six months. His parents were always away on business. They always left him home. He had learned to clean and take care of himself other than cooking. No, this salty nine year old had mastered ordering food with his parents’ credit cards. He ate like a king the first time he did it.

But now he had had enough. He had been dealing with his drapetomania for a while now. It was lonely in his gigantic empty house. He would normally just read, but that wouldn’t cut it anymore. He ached to feel claustrophobic. He ached to have a conversation with an actual person for once. His eleutheromania was growing more each day, and he couldn’t take it. So he left.

He rang the doorbell to Sander’s Orphanage. It wasn’t his first choice, but it was getting dark and starting to rain. A boy with bright eyes and a red scarf opened the door and ushered him in and out of the rain. He really didn’t plan on staying, but something about the small home and presence of people drew him in. He ended up staying more than just a few nights.

***

Roman was asleep. He had no idea anything was happening. He had no idea his dad had just lost his job. That his mom wasn’t paid enough to feed three mouths. He slept as his mom snuck him onto the porch of the week-old and empty-of-children orphanage. As his mom wrapped him in a blanket and kissed his forehead. As his mother placed around his neck a gold necklace with the words ‘Roman Prince’ engraved cheaply on the inside of a heart locket. As she said goodbye for the final time, rang the doorbell, and ran back into the shadows.

Thomas opened the door and looked around. He didn’t expect a baby, not at this time of night and definitely not alone. He picked Roman up anyway and took him into the house and out of the cold.


	2. The First Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner doesn't go exactly as planned.

Logan felt an uneasiness. A qualm of sorts. He couldn’t quite place why he felt it, but he felt it anyway. He hated not knowing why he felt things; he hated not knowing things in general.

Maybe it was the arrival of the new boy. Maybe it was the fact that he was going back to school in a few days. Logan loved gaining knowledge. He was a natural lover of words, a logophile. A lover of books, a bibliophile. But he hated school. Correction, he hated the people at school. The students were all bullies. Patton was bullied the most, then Logan, then Roman. Virgil had never been there, having attended a different school before arriving at the home just before the summer ended. About half an hour ago Virgil arrived, and despite the fear in his stomach, Logan couldn’t help but be excited for movie night later. 

Logan didn’t exactly know why, but he found himself very fond of Patton. His stomach did flips when Patton smiled at Logan and he couldn’t help but laugh at the boy’s jayujayus and other puns. He felt protective of the boy and his dad-like personality. He wanted to punch the bullies in the face. 

What concerned Logan the most was what Patton did after the confrontations. Patton would walk away calmly, no one knew where he went, they just knew he came back his cheery self a whole class period later. It made Logan slightly suspicious. Where did he go? What did he do? How could he get called all the names he did and be fine? In Logan’s mind something about it didn’t add up. 

How could the boy be so happy all the time? Logan had only seen the boy cry twice since they met; when Patton arrived and one night he heard him crying in bed.

“Logan!” Patton was in Logan’s doorway when he looked up, “Dinner’s ready, we’ve been calling you for like five minutes!” 

Logan smiled and closed his science book, “Sorry, I guess I just got caught up in my book.”

“That’s okay, but let’s go. I helped Thomas cook and I want to see what you all think!” Patton skipped in and grabbed Logan’s hand. He pulled Logan to the dining room and the two sat down in the open seats.

Logan looked down at his plate which had been filled with spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad. He looked over at Thomas, Roman, and Virgil’s plates. Thomas had a little more than he did, and Roman and Virgil had about the same portion sizes as himself. Patton looked eagerly at Virgil, Roman, and Logan, trying to gauge how they felt by their facial expressions. 

Virgil took a bite and his eyes lit up. He immediately took another bite. Roman took a bite and tossed his head back in delight. Patton smiled at their reactions and turned to Logan. Logan twirled some of the pasta onto his fork and placed it in his mouth. He smiled as the delicious pasta met his tongue. Patton took this as a win and smiled happily before stuffing his own face. At least Patton could cook; Logan had never learned, and all Thomas or Roman could do was order a pizza.

Conversation flowed easily with talk of the days events. Patton had been looking at recipes for baking. Roman had been having epic battles with the dragon-witch and listened to his showtunes. Thomas had been cleaning house and tidying up. Virgil had…

What had he done? Logan must have missed it. He looked up from his dinner to see Virgil looking down at his pasta. Well, what was left of it. He’d had seconds, and finished the salad and bread and only had a few strands of pasta left on his plate. Virgil clutched his stomach.

“You alright, buddy?” Thomas asked tentatively.

“Excuse me for a second!” Virgil requested before dashing out of his seat and to the bathroom. Roman and Patton were too shocked to move for a few seconds, but Logan and Thomas jumped up right away. Logan ran past his and Virgil’s bedrooms to the bathroom where Virgil was leaning over the edge of the toilet vomiting.

Thomas sat beside him and rubbed his back. “It’s okay. It’s okay. Let it out.”

When Virgil lifted his head Roman and Patton had joined Logan at the door and Virgil had tears flowing down his face. “I’m-I’m s-so sorry! I-I I just-“

“Hey, hey. It’s okay, Virgil. You’re not in trouble. You’re going to be okay. There’s a spare purple toothbrush in the other bathroom when you feel like you’ve gotten it out of your system. After you brush your teeth we can talk, alright?”

“O-okay,” Virgil stuttered.

“Roman, Logan, can you help me put the rest of dinner away and do the dishes? Patton, stay with Virgil and get him anything he needs,” Thomas requested. 

Roman and Logan nodded. “Yeah,” Patton muttered.

Roman and Logan followed Thomas out after Roman gave Virgil a pat on the back and Logan gave him a last look. What had caused Virgil to be sick? The rest of them were fine, so it couldn’t be something raw or cooked wrong. Maybe he had an allergy to something he had eaten? But wouldn’t he have spoken up about it or not eaten something? Logan was puzzled. He hated not knowing why or how something happened, and he hoped he would find out in due time. 

As he helped put away the leftovers and load the dishwasher, Logan wondered if the mysterious new boy was okay. If Patton was helping him; which he was sure he was but how was he? And what forces had willed this boy to them now? he thought. how would he flip their lives?

 

“Was it the food?” Patton asked.

“Yeah,” Virgil answered simply.

“I’m sorry.”

Seeing the boy’s sad expression, Virgil jumped to reassure him, “No, not like that! The food was amazing! I haven’t had a meal like that ever, I think. I just stuffed my face a little too much, and my stomach wasn’t used to it.”

“But you only had seconds!” Virgil looked at the tile flooring. Patton hugged him like he had been hugged his first night at the home.

***

After everything was put away and Virgil had brushed his teeth, him and Thomas sat down. They sat with the door closed and on Virgil’s new bed. To provide the two with privacy the other three had been instructed to not interrupt unless it was an emergency. 

“Do you want to talk about what happened and why?” Thomas asked. 

“M-my parents- they, um- They didn’t cook like that,” Virgil stuttered out hopelessly. He let the tears fall. He’d been holding them back for way too long. It was time. Thomas held him as he cried.


	3. The Boy in the Window

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A boy climbs in Virgil's window and leads him to a new experience.

The next day, Saturday, started a little calmer. Virgil had woken up at around 7 A.M. and snuck into the kitchen to grab an apple. He had run into Patton who was making pancakes for the five of them. He was told that Patton would send for him when they were ready to eat. 

So, with his apple in hand, Virgil made his way back to his bedroom. He got out his iPod and plugged in his headphones. It had been his mother’s; he had swiped it off of her nightstand on night while she was passed out from too much alcohol. It was old, about the size of his palm in a rectangular shape, and was black and a silver color. He had paid a computer geek at his old school to download some music on it. As he pressed play on “Teenagers” by My Chemical Romance, he decided that he’d relax until breakfast.

After about ten minutes Virgil looked up to see his window being opened. “Woah, woah, woah! Don’t murder me!” Virgil pleaded waving his hands in front of himself.

He watched as a boy about his age climbed into the room through the window. He wore a black leather jacket, black skinny jeans, and a white t-shirt with sunglasses on his face. He held in his hand a Venti Iced Starbucks strawberry acai tea and took a sip of it once he was fully inside. “Chill out, Gurl! I’m not gonna kill you!”

“Who are you and why are you climbing through my window?” Virgil asked.

At that moment, Patton opened the door and said, “Virgil the pancakes are ready!” He looked over to see the boy standing there, “You too, Remy!”

“Thanks Patton,” Virgil said as the three made their way to the dining room. Logan, Roman, and Thomas were waiting at the table with their plates full.

“Hurry up! We want to eat, and Thomas won’t let us until you guys sit down! Oh, and hey Remy,” Roman insisted. Virgil had one of the most surprised looks on his face. 

“You people all know this guy?”

“Yeah, he’s always here. It’s very strange considering he has parents, and he insists on coming in through a window and not a door for reasons unknown,” Logan explained. 

“Doors are too basic my dude,” Remy provided as he sat down and loaded a plate of pancakes. 

“Please don’t call me that.”

“Don’t think so my dude.”

“Well, okay,” Virgil said as he sat down to breakfast.

***

“You’re telling me,” Remy started unbelievingly, “that you have never been to Starbucks!”

“I guess that’s what I’m saying,” Virgil replied warily.

“Well that just won’t do,” Remy insisted getting up from the table. “Come on guys, we are going to Starbucks to help this deprived child.”

“Can we go Thomas? Pleeeaaassse?” Patton begged.

“Sure, as long as Virgil is back soon so that he and I can go to the store.”

Remy grabbed Virgil’s hand and practically dragged him out of the building.

“Dude! I’m still in my pajamas!” Virgil protested.

“Gurl. One nobody cares. Two Starbucks is more important than trivial things such as clothing.”

And so, the four of them and Remy walked to Starbucks in their pajamas. When they got there Roman, Patton, and Logan ordered their drinks. Roman got a Crystal Ball Frappuccino, Patton a Cinnamon Roll Frappuccino, and Logan a Teavana Shaken Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade. 

“So, do you like really sweet things?” Remy asked.

“No, not really,” Virgil answered.

“Do you like chocolate sauce?”

“Yeah.”

“Coffee?”

“yes.”

“Whipped cream?”

“Those are not complete sentences!” Logan butt in.

“My dude, shut up.”

“yeah,” Virgil answered.

“Then we’ll start you off simple,” he turned to the barista. “And a Grande Mocha Frappuccino for my friend here.” 

“Okay,” she said tapping the screen in front of her, “That will be $22.35.”

Remy went to pull out his wallet when Patton insisted that Remy not use his money on them. “Calm down, Sunshine. I can afford it. It’s nice having parents that fuel your addictions,” he said as he pulled out a credit card.

“Okay, kiddo, if you’re sure.”

After a few minutes they got their drinks and headed back to the orphanage. When they arrived at the doorstep Remy bid the four a quick farewell before climbing up the fire escape of the building next door.

“Well, he sure is interesting,” Virgil concluded before making his way inside.


	4. School Supplies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas takes Virgil to get some stuff for school.

“So,” Thomas explained about 30 minutes later on the drive to Target, “Virgil, you will be attending St. Luke Elementary School with Roman, Logan, and Patton. It is a private school that I have you all go to because it is the best school in town. The school is kindergarten through eighth grade and there is only one class per grade. You will go into the seventh grade with the other three. I’m pretty sure Remy will be there also.”

“Okay. Um. is there a dress code or uniform?” Virgil asked. He hated uniforms other than the fact that it meant he wouldn’t be teased for his clothes.

“Yes, though they do have a casual dress day at least once a month. The uniform bottoms we will get today along with some shoes, socks, and supplies. Now,” Thomas took a breath, “I have informed the school that you have just recently come into my care. Because of how close to the start of school it is, the polo shirts you will wear won’t arrive for about a week. They have said that it is okay for you to wear casual clothes until they do.”

“Okay…” Virgil trailed off. “Is there anything more I should know?”

“Ummm, we’ll go over the dress code and stuff later. Other than that I think we are good,” he said as he parked.

The two got out of the car and walked into the store. They quickly got pants and socks, then left to the back to get school supplies. Virgil got a galaxy notebook, a black notebook, a red notebook, a green notebook, a yellow notebook, purple notebook, a blue notebook, and black and purple binder. He also got the pens, pencils, and other folders he needed. They then headed to the Vans store to get him some shoes. They browsed for a few minutes before Virgil found some purple Old Skool Vans with black trim. He looked in awe at the shoes that seemed perfect for his aesthetic. 

Thomas, noticing the younger’s interest in the shoes, inquired as to whether he wanted them or not.

Virgil glanced at the price tag, “They’re 80 bucks! That’s not cheap . I doubt you can afford to get them with the rest of the stuff you bought me and the others for school.”

“Don’t worry about the price Virgil. The others’ shoes were all around the same price, so it only seems fair I let you get them if you wish.”

“If that’s okay, then I guess I do want them,” Virgil conceded hesitantly.

“Okay, then we’ll get them!” Thomas concurred. 

After the shoes were bought, the two made their way back to the orphanage that wasn’t exactly a home to Virgil yet (he didn’t toss that term around lightly), but was a house to him nonetheless.

***

Monday morning rolled around sooner than Virgil would have liked. Sunday had been when everyone got their school supplies ready and organised. This meant putting pens in pouches, names on notebooks, papers in binders, and everything in backpacks. Each of the four decorated the covers of notebooks that were plain with a color light enough to show black Sharpie. Virgil had one covered on song lyrics only and another filled with things his Tumblr followers told him to write on it. Logan had a notebook that he doodled stats on then connected them into different shapes as constellations (he already had one with the official constellations) and another filled with Doctor Who, Sherlock, Supernatural, and Merlin quotes and references. Patton had a notebook covered in doodles of things like hearts, rainbows, and different animals and another with quotes from his favorite cartoons. Roman had a notebook with references and quotes from musicals like Heathers, Dear Evan Hansen, and Guys and Dolls. His other notebook was littered with Disney song lyrics and crown doodles.

At around 6:30 A.M. Virgil’s alarm went off on his new phone, a welcome gift he had received the day before from Thomas. Virgil turned the annoying ringtone off with a groan and rubbed his eyes. He picked his phone up and put on “Changes Consume Me” by Hotel Books. Logan had recommended the spoken word poetry to him and he had fallen in love. His favorite two songs were the one currently playing and “With Love.” He made his way to the kitchen for a glass of milk and a small granola bar. He crept to his bedroom as quickly and quietly as he could to avoid waking the other four if they weren’t already awake. He ate and drank his breakfast in about 10 minutes in between passionately mouthing the lyrics to “Van Nuys” and a few other songs. He got dressed quickly as was his habit he hadn’t managed to drop in the last few days. He wore some black denim jeans, dark purple shirt, and plaid patched hoodie. He did his hair, which took about a minute, brushed his teeth and triple checked that all of his supplies were in his backpack before pulling his shoes on. Realizing that it was only about 6:50, he watched some Netflix until Thomas called him into the living room at seven thirty. The five piled into the car, Logan in te passenger seat, Roman and Patton in the middle row on the left and right sides, and Virgil in the last row. 

As they neared the school Virgil could feel his anxiety growing, but he fought down the panic. He had Roman, Logan, and Patton to help him; he could do this. Thomas parked the car, and they all turned to him. 

“Okay kiddo,” Patton began, “I understand that this is a new school for you and that you might be a little nervous. I get that, I really do, but I want you to know that if you need anything we are there.”

“Yes, he is correct!” Roman proclaimed far too dramatically. “We will be your knights in shining armour!”

“Before we go in, I feel that it would be beneficial to explain what happens before classes start,” Logan explained. “The four of us will enter the gymnasium and set our bags against the wall. You can then socialize with the person or group of your choice, if you choose. You cannot go on your phone though.” Virgil frowned at that. “It is relatively empty, save for the few who have to be there super early. As it nears eight, especially between 7:45 and 7:55, the number of people will increase drastically. With the addition of more people the noise level will also grow rapidly. If this bothers you or makes you anxious, one of us,” he made a motion signalling to Roman, Patton, and himself, “can accompany you in the front office until the bell rings. Once the bell rings, we all stand in our lines and hear the announcements. After all of that, we are able to go to our homeroom classes.”

“Okay,” Virgil stuttered out. “Let’s get this over with.”

And so, after bidding farewell to Thomas, the four made their way into the gym and set their bags down against the wall from which they had just entered. Roman and Patton made their way to Remy and two others, while Logan and Virgil sat by their stuff. Logan immediately took out his book Star Trek Discovery: The Final Hours and Virgil watched the boy read, awkwardly not knowing what to do.

After a few minutes Roman, Remy, Patton, and two others made their way towards the two antisocial introverts.


	5. Day One (Before the Recess Bell)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit goes down. Logan, Roman, Virgil, Remy, and Joan are worried.

As the three migrated over, Logan set his book down. With the group all talking to him and each other he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the words on the pages. “Remy, how do you do?” Logan greeted. 

“I’m chill, my dude,” Remy took a swig from his metal Starbucks water bottle. Logan raised an eyebrow. “Chill, my dude, it’s water not whisky. We’re in seventh grade, not college.” Logan’s eyebrow lowered, but he jokingly didn’t look convinced.

Roman interjected, “I’m pretty sure the bell’s going to ring soon.”

“Where do we stand?” Virgil asked.

“We can just stand here on the baseline of the court, and whatever you do stay away from them,” Remy warned as he sipped from his water bottle and pointed to a pair of students. One was relatively skinny and slightly tall, with wavy blond curls in his head. The other was about a half an inch shorter, but had a more muscular build.

“Who are they?”

Roman took over this answer, while Remy and Logan glared and Patton noticeably shrunk in on himself as if he wanted to make himself look smaller or to not be noticed. This didn’t go unnoted by Virgil. “The skinny one is Cameron Peters. Though we’ve nicknamed him Deceit because he tells nothing but lies.” He seemed to direct the last part at Patton, as if to comfort him. Roman placed his arm around the small boy’s shoulders. Patton leaned into Roman’s side, appreciating the comfort. Roman continued, “The bigger one is Frank Evans. He is the muscle. He’s the one to make Cameron look more intimidating—“

“He’s also a dumbass.”

“Logan!” Patton scolded.

“Well, it is only mere fact! The imbecile can’t even spell imbecile.”

“Be that as it may,” Roman cut in, “we don’t want to stoop to their level. We are. Virgil’s knights not some dirty street rats like those two.”

The bell rang, and anyone who wasn’t standing already stood up and got in line.

“Good morning, students!” A tall man in a white dress shirt and blue pants held a microphone. 

Most of the students, including Roman, Patton, Remy, and Logan, as a whole replied with, “Good morning, Mr. King.”

“How does it feel to be back?” Virgil concluded that this guy was way too enthusiastic for his taste.

A chorus of younger students shouted happily. The older grades all just collectively groaned.

“Well, either way you feel, you are required by law to be here, so you better get used to it. I hope you have fun today and for the rest of the year!” With that he dismissed the classes.

***

“Hello class!” the teacher welcomed. The 27 students and their teacher stood outside of the classroom in the hallway. 

The school was very outdoor based, having the hallways outside and covered with a small over head roof.

“For now, we’ll go inside, introduce ourselves, and unpack our supplies,” the teacher instructed before leading the students inside. “Just find a desk wherever you can for now, but there will be a seating chart by the end of next week.”

The desks were arranged in four groups of three two seated desks. In the middle of the room were two of the same type desks in a row. Patton, Roman, Logan, Virgil, and Remy all got spots next to each other in a group. Logan and Virgil sat at one desk, Roman and Remy at the one across from them, and Patton at the desk that connected the two other desks alone. No one else sat next to him; they were too busy getting seats next to their friends. Patton didn’t let himself dwell on it, instead he plastered on a smile as the teacher wrote their name on the board. 

“My name is Mx. Stokes. Or you can all call me Joan if that’s better for you.”

“What does Mx. stand for?” Cameron nagged. “Isn’t only Mr., Mrs., and Ms.?”

“Mx. is a nonbinary or non gender specific form of the aforementioned titles,” Joan chided.

“But there’s only two genders!” Cameron preached.

Logan shot out of his seat, slamming his hands on the desk, knocking his chair backwards, and frightening Virgil in the process. “FALSEHOOD!” Logan debated loudly. “There are more than two genders, and you would know if you opened up a goddamn book you—“

“That’s enough, Logan. We get your point. Sit down please,” Joan reasoned.

“I will sit down when this uneducated child open a book and educates himself on the biology of earthly creatures!”

“Logan! This is not a debate. You and I and your friends all know that you are correct. Now sit down.” 

Patton admired the way that Logan stood up for himself and his friends. Patton didn’t think he was that brave. Patton loved how devoted Logan was to simple tasks. Patton didn’t think he had that much effort in his small body. He admired how passionate Logan was over the things he loved or learning something new. Patton didn’t think he could compare to Logan in any way.

As Logan sat he corrected Joan, “The correct order is you, your friends, and I in that sentence.”

“Yes, it is.” Joan clapped his hands. “Now this may make it seem like we’re in first grade, but we’re going to do it anyway! We are going to go around the room and say our names and one thing about ourselves.” They gestured to Virgil. “How about you go first, bud?”

“My names Virgil Shea, and I can’t live without music,” Virgil stuttered out. Patton could tell he hated the attention.

“Shea?” Cameron asked like he was remembering the name. “Didn’t your parents get arrested a few nights ago?”

“I believe you are out of line, my horrendous sir,” Roman declared, turning around to face the bully.

“Your comments are like popsicle stands in the winter — unwanted and unneeded,” Remy sassed.

Patton admired how Roman and Remy stood up for Virgil. Why couldn’t he? Patton mentally punched himself over and over. Why wouldn’t the words come out? Why why why why why—

Trying to divert the attention to himself, Logan took his turn, “Salutations. My name is Logan Roberts. One thing about myself, and this is a true fact, I am smarter that everyone in this room!”

“Even Joan?” a girl asked.

Logan turned to Joan and inquired, “Do you have the entire script of BBC Sherlock’s first episode memorised?”

“No,” Joan answered impressed.

Logan turned back to the girl, “Yes.” He left it at that.

“Hi! My name’s Patton,” the boy shouted excitedly, “and I love cats! Oh, and also dogs!”

“The teacher said one not two you dolt!” Frank shouted. 

“Frank!” Joan scolded.

Patton curled in on himself in his seat and stared at the desk. You can’t do anything right! When will you learn not to make a fool of yourself self? When? will? You? Learn? You fool!

“Hey imbecile! Spell imbecile!” Logan shouted at Frank.

“Logan!”

“I….m….b...a—“

“Wrong! Patton spell imbecile. Patton?” Logan softened when he saw Patton.

Through shaky breaths Patton Spelled imbecile correctly.

“You want some water buddy?” Joan asked. Patton nodded and ran out of the room.

“He’s smarter than you!” Logan shot back one last time.

Virgil leaned over and whispers in Logan’s ear, “Is he gonna be okay?”

“That’s one thing that I hope I know, but if I’m wrong…” he trailed off.

***

Patton shuffled over to the water fountain. It took thirty seconds to get there normally. He could make it. He wouldn’t cry. He would get a sip of water, take a deep breath, and be calm. He wouldn’t let Cameron be right.

“Though we nicknamed him Deceit because he tells nothing but lies.”

Roman was wrong. Cameron and Frank were both right. Patton was a dolt. He was such a dolt that he couldn’t make it to the fricking water fountain without breaking down. He ran into the bathroom. He locked the stall and cried against the door. 

You’re such a crybaby! You take things so hard! Why can’t you have thicker skin? Why can’t you fight your own battles? It’s not your friends’ job to fight for you! They don’t need your problems! It’s not their fault that the truth hurts you! If you could stand your ground they’d be happier! If you could learn to take a hit they’d have less worries and be happy. They’d be happier. They’d be happier. They’d be Happy. They’d be happy. They’d be happy…


	6. Day One (Recess Bell)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan helps Patton.

Patton pulled himself together. After five minutes people would start wondering where he was. Wouldn’t want to worry them. Patton wanted them to be happy. So, he stood up, walked to the mirror, wiped his eyes, and washed his face. As he made his way to the door, the bell for 20 minute break rang. 

How had that happened? He’d gone in at half past eight. It couldn’t be 9:50. He glanced down at his watch. He’d been cooped up in the stall for almost an hour? They had to be worried about him! 

Don’t assume they care. Maybe without you there they were happier.

Yeah, the voice in his head had a point. Yeah, they must have been happier. They didn’t have to worry about protecting him if he wasn’t there. Less worry means that they are happier. 

If he stayed in the stall forever, they wouldn’t have him to worry about which means that they would be happier. And if his friends were happy, he was happy. He’d convince himself he was happy. He’d learn to be happy.

***

Logan was… well, to say the least, he was worried. Patton had pulled another disappearing act, greater and more worry and panic inducing than any magician could ever perform. Logan could see the worry on Roman and Remy’s faces. The three of them were used to this though; well, as “used to it” as they could be after five years. 

But the worry on their faces combined was no match for the worry on Virgil’s face. Virgil had never experienced this before. He had never known that this would happen and was not prepared. Not telling or making Virgil aware of this was illogical on Logan’s part. He should have done more. He could have done more. He could have told Virgil that something like this would happen. Should. He could have gone with Patton. Should. 

There were so many things he could should have done. 

The recess bell rang, and the four of them shot out of their seats before Joan could get another word in.

The four scoured the basketball courts and field, they even interrupted one of the younger class’ library visits to search there. When they didn’t find Patton, they finally searched the bathrooms. 

“Patton?” Roman called out.

In the stall Patton’s breath hitched. Virgil knocked on the door. “Patton? We know you’re in there. We just want to see if you’re okay.”

“I-I’m fine. No need to worry. You can do your thing,” Patton stuttered out shakily.

“Well at the moment our thing is making sure that you are okay and not hurting,” Virgil informed Patton.

“Like I said, I’m fine. No need to worry,” Patton tried to reason with the three. 

Logan realized what was happening. Logan realized what Patton was doing. Logan realized what Patton meant.

Logan stood next to Virgil in front of the stall door. Logan placed his hand on top of the door. “Patton, I want to see that you are okay. Can you open the door for me?”

“N-No! I-I swear, I’m fine. I really am. You don’t need to worry,” Patton insisted shakily. 

Imagine it is winter in the far north. Imagine you have no heating, no blankets, no clothes to keep yourself warm. You’d be shivering. You wouldn’t be able to speak a complete sentence clearly. This was how Patton spoke. Logan noticed this. He noticed and it hurt. It hurt that Patton didn’t trust him enough to tell him the truth. To tell him that he wasn’t okay. He felt as if a weight had been pounded into his chest. Crushing. Crushing. Crushing his ribs, his sternum, his lungs. His heart. 

And then he realized… 

And then he spoke. “Patton, I need you to listen to me. I need you to trust me. I need you to trust Roman. I need you to trust Remy. I need you to trust Virgil. I know I’m horrible when it comes to understanding emotion—others’ and my own. I’ve gotten my fair share of robot comments to realize that maybe I am shit when it comes to things of that nature. But I’m good at other things. Ask me to recall information from years ago, to tell you the intricate details of everything having to do with Sherlock, and I can. Nobody can do or understand everything. Maybe you can’t remember what you wore the 47th day of your kindergarten year or put all the fifty states in alphabetical order without a pen and paper. But do you know what you can do?” 

He didn’t wait for an answer as the weight crushed his chest still. “You can understand even the most complicated emotions. You can help others understand theirs. You can understand your own. AS much as I can help someone physically with a disability—telling them to get rest or take these pills—you can help someone emotionally. You can tell them that nothing anyone says to bring them down will keep them down. You can tell them that they are beautiful or handsome and that anyone that told them otherwise was dead wrong. I need you to trust me in my saying that you might not be the best at one thing, but you are the greatest I know at many others. I need you trust that just as I say this point in my own way—with facts and reason—Roman would say the same in his own. And that just as Roman would say this with his fanciful words and extravagant gestures, Virgil and Remy would say it in their own also. I need you trust me when I say that you are not a burden. You not weighing us down or holding us back. You get so caught up in worrying about others that you don’t worry about yourself or how you’re feeling, I’ve seen it. So, I need you to forget how I will feel, how Roman will feel, how Remy will feel and how Virgil will feel. I need you to trust us. I need you to trust us enough to tell us the truth. Are you okay and will you be okay?” 

Logan had gone so far into his emotional tangent that he didn’t notice Roman and Virgil staring at him in amazement and adoration and even tearing up a little. He had let go of everything, the pain, the guilt, and everything he had known. He had let go so much that he hadn’t heard Patton crying or that he had unlocked the door. Logan had closed his eyes, tighter and tighter each sentence, like someone had turned on a million suns in his face. 

Finally, like the first sights of a rainbow after a storm, Patton answered Logan, “I wasn’t fine, if I’m being honest, but after that I still am a little emotional but I’m okay. I will be okay.”

Logan opened the door and rushed to Patton’s side, hugging him the tightest he’d ever held anything in his life, and he didn’t plan on letting go anytime soon. Virgil surged forward also, followed closely by Roman and Remy. The five hugged there for a few minutes just thankful that they had each other.

***

As the five made their way out to break from the bathroom Joan pulled them aside. “I am glad that your friends found you, Patton.”

“I am too,” Patton smiled.

“I need you to understand that running and hiding like this isn’t going to help. It’s only going to worsen your mental and physical health, as well as your school grades. I let it happen all last year while you weren’t in my homeroom but still in a few of my classes, and that was an error on my part. I should have addressed the issue sooner, but it is too late for that now. I can’t expel either of them unless they cause you physical harm, which I admit is a pretty crap rule that I sadly can’t change. We already know that they aren’t afraid of being suspended. I feel that if they don’t let up soon or you don’t find a way to deal with this, all of you,” he looked at the four of Patton’s friends, “I’m going to have to tell Thomas. Hiding this from him is not helping you or me or your friends, Patton.” 

“Okay,” Patton conceded helplessly.


	7. Fight Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan gets no sleep and Patton's making the most of one last day.

The bright artificial light hurt Logan’s eyes as he fought to keep his eyes open at 3 A.M. He needed to catch up his studies. With Virgil’s arrival he had put reading his different subject textbooks off. He wouldn’t go to sleep until he understood this. He knew that with his less than adequate focus, he probably wouldn’t understand anytime soon. 

But if he couldn’t understand something so simple, did he really deserve sleep?

After another half hour he decided that the task wasn’t going to be worth it. He slowly closed his book, stood, and brushed off his pajama pants. He moved the sheets on his bed so that he could sit, lay back, and then pull them over himself. He pulled the covers to his neck and placed his glasses on the bedside table.

He stared at the ceiling. He was unbelievably tired, but his mind was reeling. He still hadn’t gotten over the realisation that he had discovered earlier that day. Well, technically yesterday.

He cared for Patton. Liked Patton. 

How had he not noticed before? Was he even capable of love? How would Thomas react if they became romantic partners? How would Patton respond to Logan’s revelation? Virgil? Roman? For all he knew the other two liked Patton too. What wasn’t there to like? 

Patton was kind. Though he was emotional, he was in touch with his and others’ emotions, as he had pointed out in the bathroom. Patton’s smile was like the moon—beautiful, bright in its own way, bringing light to the darkest of times, and not as much of a nuisance as the sun. Everything about the small boy was just so endearing. 

What was going on with him? Logan knew he wouldn’t be enough for Patton. Patton was broken, and Logan didn’t think he was enough to fix him. All Logan knew were facts, cold hard facts that didn’t help someone emotionally.

Unless…

Unless they could.

Logan immediately jumped out of bed, not caring about the tidiness of his sheets. He was only like that when a spark of genius—in his mind anyway—struck him like lightning. He got out his constellation notebook in a hurry, turned to the next fresh page, logged in to his computer, and started taking some notes.

***

Logan had helped him. Logan, who he expected the least to help cheer him up. Patton expected Roman to help, to make some big speech about how Cameron and Frank were wrong, and that Patton was the king of his kingdom. Remy to say that he was cooler than ice and and that they weren’t. For Virgil to say that he knew where he came from and how he felt. Not for Logan to unravel all of his thoughts to him, and definitely not for Roman to keep quiet the whole time.

Patton couldn’t help but love Logan. Especially when he did things like that, but it was rare. His Protect With Facts mode was engaged when he believed something really bad was happening.

Was something bad happening? He’d been like this ever since the bullying started, and it only got worse after his parents’ and grandma’s deaths. He’d had Roman and Logan in his classes for all his life. They’d never really become friends, but they had seen each other and shared the occasional hello. Had they noticed his hiding even before they’d become friends?

***

Logan woke up begrudgingly. He had worked and worked on his spark of genius for about two hours. He ended up sleeping for one. That was very illogical behaviour, but Logan was a hypocrite. He quickly dressed himself in his normal black polo, tie, and pants. After brushing his hair and making sure everything was looking professional, Logan made his way to the kitchen for some breakfast. On his way down the hall, he heard his bedroom door open and saw Remy step into the hallway.

“Did you just enter my room through the window?”

“Yeah, my dude, how else am I supposed to get in?” Remy asked before taking a long sip of his tea. 

“What if I had been in there? What if I was doing something really embarrassing or compromising?” Logan asked.

“Well then that would have been really awkward, my dude, and I would have lost my Starbucks,” Remy concluded. The over dramatic boy continued down the hallway and left Logan staring after him.

Logan soon continued his trek towards the food vault known as the fridge. He hummed a small tune as he pulled out the milk and a box of cereal.

Breakfast was relatively quiet for about ten minutes. It was still a little early for the gang to be eating, but Logan preferred being early over late. Remy entertained himself by scrolling mindlessly through some app on his phone, chuckling to himself or whispering things like, “Ooh, Gurl! You did not!” 

At 7:35 Patton skipped into the kitchen and grabbed himself some cereal. “Good morning, Logan! How are you doing?”

“I have been better,” Logan answered in his usual serious tone.

“Aww, what’s got you down, kiddo?” Patton’s intrigued gaze changed to one of sympathy.

“Nothing,” Logan lied. “I just stayed up a little later than usual working on a little passion project.”

“Roman been rubbing off on you?” Patton joked lightly.

“It seems as though he has lately.”

Logan couldn’t tell if he was sitting up or if he had swayed forward slightly. He took another bite of cereal, slow this time so that his brain could keep up with his movements. 

Patton watched him for a second longer before turning to Remy, “So, how have you been, friendo?”

“Ugh, sunshine, you would not believe…”

The rest of the two’s conversation faded into white noise as Logan almost nodded off into his bowl. Logan lightly flicked himself in the forehead to wake himself up. 

“Oh, nerd boy, don’t tell me stayed up all night studying already. We haven’t even gotten an assignment yet!” Virgil said upon his arrival.

Logan looked at him for a second before replying, “I actually have a number of advanced textbooks stored in my bedroom.”

“Got anything on astronomy?” Virgil inquired curiously.

“Yes, of course. I love astronomy. I’d be happy to lend them to you to look over if you’d like,” Logan offered.

“I might just take you up on that offer.” Virgil met Logan’s tired eyes the way he only had done the day prior when Patton was nowhere to be found. Instead of worry and fear like the last time, Virgil’s eyes were filled with gratitude and hope. Hope, Logan inferred, for a friendship. For someone he could talk to, and who could talk to him.

Logan, surprisingly, found himself hoping for the same.

***

“Don’t forget that Joan is bringing you guys home today!” Thomas called after the five boys as they jumped out of the car.

“Gotcha!” Patton responded all too cheerily. Virgil hadn’t forgotten what Joan had said yesterday. 

“I feel that if they don’t let up soon or you don’t find a way to deal with this, all of you, I’m going to have to tell Thomas.”

This was Patton’s last chance. His last chance to save himself without others intervening. His last chance to pretend. His last chance at calm before the storm. His last chance at being seen as normal by Thomas. After today Thomas would know. He’d know everything, and Virgil could tell that Patton was scared.


	8. Golden Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something unexpected happens. Logan goes out with a bang.

The morning went by relatively quickly for Patton. He caught up, with Joan and Logan’s assistance, what he had missed the day before. The few insults he heard from Deceit were nothing he hadn’t heard before. 

When Joan turned on their Disney music station on Pandora—Joan found it to be one of the only stations they could find where the music was constantly appropriate for Catholic school children—Patton sang along every word with Roman. 

He ignored Deceit telling the two of them to shut up their screeching. He kept on singing when Roman stopped because his throat hurt.

When Patton sang like this, he could forget the world around him was there. When he sang like this, quiet and whisper-like, he could pretend everything was alright. He sang like a mother sings a lullaby to her sleeping child. He sang beautifully. He sang and sang and sang.

***

Remy looked at the banner with resentment. He had always hated this banner. It confused him why the sign was inside the school instead of outside. The banner used reds, yellows, blues, and whites to advertise that their school was bully free. Load of crap if you asked him. The banner would make more sense being hung outside the school to draw in new families, but it was placed directly where you could see it from the blacktop. To him, when placed here, the sign didn’t serve the purpose of being an advertisement, and a false one at that. The sign seemed to be a reminder, like a parent looming over you as you do your homework.

Remy looked away from the sign as his friends finished grabbing their snacks. The five friends walked out onto the blacktop as recess began. Students ran all over playing tag and basketball. Instead of running or playing, the group usually walked and talked or simply walked to a comfortable spot and stayed there to talk. 

Sometimes every response to something someone said was a fandom reference. Even Logan, who prided himself on not becoming obsessed with trivial things, could reference an episode of Sherlock or a random fact he’d learned recently. Other times they had conversations that consisted only of vines and short videos on the internet they’d seen and shared with one another. Those conversations rarely made sense, and teachers thought they were crazy. Occasionally, they’d sing songs the whole break long. 

But Deceit never tried to confront them. He had every chance to, the friends were literally an open book for the time, but he never did. Maybe it was too easy for him. Maybe it was like shooting a man when he was down. 

But, the way Remy understood, even men who were down were shot at some point.

***

Patton was having a great time. Break seemed to be where he was free from Deceit’s grip. He cherished the two fifteen minute breaks he was given on a full day. 

But, sadly, today was a half day. He’d only get one break then go back to class with Joan until dismissal. He used his time even more wisely with that in mind. 

Today, the gang spent their time singing.They sang anything really, though Logan preferred to rap or recite poetry and Virge was pretty quiet. 

“Oh don’t you wonder when the light begins to fade…” Roman started.

“And the clock just makes the colors turn to grey…” Logan continued.

“Forever younger, growing older just the same. All the memories we make will never change...” Patton.

Roman, “We’ll stay drunk, we’ll stay tan let the love remain, and I swear that I’ll always paint you…”

“Golden Days! Golden Days!” They all sang together in the shade of one of their favorite trees.

Behind them someone started clapping slowly, mockingly. “Bravo! Bravo! Truly today will be a golden day for me, not so sure about you all though.”

“Fuck off, Cameron. No one wants to hear your bullshit,” Virgil greeted.

“You think you are so tough, so brave, but I know. I know how scared you truly are. I know who you were before entering the island of misfit toys, before the arrest.”

Virgil was dumbstruck. How could he know? He’d left everything from his old life behind, everything Deceit could have possibly found out.

Deceit walked past Virgil and to Roman. “Ah, Roman. The protector. Do you have what it takes? Can you protect them from themselves? Can you protect them from the truth?” Roman frowned, but his eyes were filled with rage. “No you can’t, and you resent that fact.”

Roman stepped forward and raised his hand. He was about to slap or punch or kick Deceit anywhere he could, but Deceit just waved him off and moved on.

As he stepped up to Logan, Logan’s eyes were trained on Deceit’s as he used one of the hands at his side to motion to Remy. Deceit paid Remy no attention as he ran off. “Ah, Robot, it’s been too long. Haven’t had a heart to heart in a while.” Deceit put a finger to his chin, a mock thoughtful expression on his face for a split second before the malice took over his features once more, “I don’t think we ever did though, on second thought.Tinman never had a heart,” he looked him up and down. “By the looks of it, he still doesn’t.”

Logan balled his fists and held them tight. He fought back his anger and hostile thoughts as he asked, “Why should I listen to you? You just pick on our insecurities and blow them out of proportions. You make us think that the consequences are a lot more drastic and dramatic then they realistically are. You speak only lies.”

“Do I speak lies? I don’t see anyone here denying my claims, my truths,” Deceit said as he looked around at the small group. “No, I really don’t, because everyone knows that denying the truth is unhealthy. Because, and let’s put it truthfully as you ask me to, I’m not speaking lies, the opposite is what i preach. I speak the truth, and you all know it. That’s why he doesn’t open up,” a finger towards Virgil, “why he believes he fails,” it pointed to Roman, “why you seek knowledge that will never fill the void,” a finger stabbed into Logan’s chest, “and why he hides from everything.” Before a finger could be pointed towards Patton, Logan’s fist had come up to nail Deceit straight in the nose, well as straight as he could manage.

The bad news for Logan was that, as accomplished as he felt, Remy had chosen that moment to come back with Joan. “Logan!”

Deceit and Logan were hauled off, much to everyone’s dismay, by Joan to the principal’s office as the others were left to continue with recess and class.

In the end Logan realized that Deceit had gotten what he wanted. He’d gotten into everyone’s heads, pushed Logan just enough, and gotten Logan in trouble. He knew what buttons to press on each of them, and he knew that even though Roman was the most compulsive, when pressed on Logan could lose control and let his rage take over. 

He also realized that despite all of that, the five of them had also won. They’d given him a little taste of what he’d done to them, though this was physical, and they’d gotten him caught. 

The battle may have been lost, but the war wasn’t over yet. 

Logan had made today a golden day for all of them.


	9. The Mighty Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan and Cameron visit with Mr. Brenan.

Logan knew that fighting Joan on this was pointless. Logan had punched Deceit, there was no denying that. What Joan didn’t know was why Deceit was being punched. Considering this, Logan didn’t fight Joan. He reasoned.

“Joan, I was just defending my friends.”

“I’m sorry, Logan, but I’m not the person you need to explain yourself to.” Logan noticed the genuine remorse in their voice.

Joan left the boys in the principal’s office and left to continue teaching their class. As Logan and Deceit sat in the empty office, with only the receptionist in the next room to keep an eye on them for now, neither looked at or acknowledged the other. After about ten minutes the principal finished whatever it was he was doing and entered his office. 

“Hello, boys. What do we have going on here?” He sat down at his desk to get more on their eye level. 

“Mr. Brenan, I was just walking around with my friends at recess, minding my own business, when Logan comes up to us. I tried to be friendly and greet him, when he starts shouting obscenities at my friends and me. Then after he is finished yelling, he punched me in the face causing me to get a nosebleed that, by the way, I still haven’t gotten a tissue for.”

“Falsehood! The only true part of that statement is the punching part.”

“Lindsey,” Mr. Brenan called to the receptionist, “can you get this young man a box of tissues? Logan, you know that fighting isn’t tolerated here.”

“That isn’t what happened! Cameron approached my group of friends and started targeting each one of their insecurities. I sent Remy to get Joan because Joan is familiar with the situation. Cameron kept harassing my friends and me, and I became fed up. I punched him right as Joan and Remy returned, and was immediately hauled here. You can call in my friends and have them testify,” Logan explained.

Mr. Brenan nodded. “What are two of your friends’ names?”

“Roman and Virgil.”

He picked up his intercom. “May I have Roman and Virgil sent to my office? Thank you.”

When Roman and Virgil walked in to the office Roman looked slightly nervous, but otherwise fine, and Virgil looked kind of terrified. Logan admitted that calling Virgil in probably wasn’t the best idea, but Patton would be in a state no better and Remy hadn’t seen everything that transpired.

Mr. Brenan leaned back in his chair slightly and folded his hands. “Boys, don’t worry. You’re not in trouble or anything, I just would like to know who’s story checks out. Can you tell me what happened at recess?” He motioned in Roman’s direction.

“Well, Sir,” Roman started, “Logan, Patton, Remy, Virgil, and I were walking around, just hanging out like usual. A few minutes into recess, Cameron and his friends approached us. Immediately he started threatening us and being generally unpleasant. He started with Virgil, then moved onto myself, and started insulting Logan. Logan tried to reason with him and call him out after sending Remy to get Joan. Instead of ceasing fire, Cameron kept on tormenting us. Cameron has been rude and bullied us for years, except Virgil, and when he insulted Patton, who is known to have breakdowns and become unstable afterwards, Logan defended us all. Unfortunately, yes, he did punch Cameron, but it was only defense.”

He turned to Virgil, “Is that true?”

Virgil nodded. 

“Well, you two can go back to class, your fellow classmates will join you soon.” After Roman and Virgil left his office, Mr. Brenan addressed Cameron, “I can’t just ignore the fact that you have been a bully just because you didn’t physically harm anyone. You will be allowed to return to class for the rest of the day, but will not attend school tomorrow.”

Deceit shrugged. He’d dealt with worse.

“Now, as for you,” he turned to Logan, “ the standard punishment for assaulting a fellow student is a three day suspension. Because tomorrow is a half day and the last day of the week, and you were defending your friends, albeit not in the best way, you will not get the full suspension. Your suspension will last from now until Tuesday, so you will not be allowed at school tomorrow or Monday. You will gather your belongings and wait for the remaining hour of the day in the front office.”

Logan nodded solemnly. “Yes, sir.”

“Go gather your things and get to class,” Mr. Brenan excuses the two.

***

When Logan and Deceit entered the classroom, everyone stopped. Deceit walked to his seat normally and sat down. Logan kept his head down, walked over to the space between the group of desks he sat at, crouched down in front of his, gathered his book, and grabbed his binder from his desk. 

While he was gathering his things, Patton leaned over his desk. “What happened? Are you okay? Where are you going?” Logan couldn’t tell whether Patton was concerned or confused. He’d never been able to read emotions well. 

“I’ll see you guys in an hour.” He walked out of the room without another word.

***

Logan sat in the uncomfortable office chair with his knees hugged to his chest. He had his book open in front of him, but he hadn’t been reading for the last few minutes. 

He’d waited the whole summer for school to start, and right when it started he wasn’t allowed back for a week.

Logan glanced at the clock. 12:14. Joan and the others would pick him up any second now. Logan placed his book in his backpack and his backpack on his shoulders. He rocked back and forth as he waited for his friends. 

Suddenly, a blue blur was on its tiptoes and hugging Logan around the neck. “I don’t think I ever got to thank you. You didn’t have to get in trouble for little ‘ol me.” Patton hid his face in Logan’s neck.

Logan’s eyes were wide. He didn’t know what to do with his hands. Did he wrap them around the smaller boy in front of him? Keep them at his sides? 

Slowly and shakily Logan wrapped his arms around Patton’s waist. “Your welcome, and I’d do anything for you. A little trouble won’t stop me.”

Patton leaned back to look Logan in the eye. “You mean that?”

“Of course.” Logan looked to where Roman, Virgil, Remy, and Joan stood waiting and watching. “I think it’s time we go. Home is better than here, where I’m technically not allowed to be.” The six walked to Joan’s car and piled in.


	10. Make Them Hear You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> patton disassociates
> 
> cameron goes through the fire

10 minutes. Patton had about 10 minutes until the six of them would park in front of Sanders’s Orphanage. Patton had 10 minutes of normalcy; ten minutes until Joan told Thomas about Logan and Deceit. Ten minutes until he’d have to tell Thomas about the last five years. 

Logan was explaining what had happened in the principal’s office, but as badly as Patton wanted to listen, to take in every word Lo was saying and hold onto them, he couldn’t focus. The world around him was fuzzy, like background static on a disconnected television. 

Patton turned his face towards the window, his eyes seeming to automatically find his faint reflection in the transparent glass. He found himself looking at the reflection curiously and felt his mind leave his body in a way, as if his life had suddenly been switched to third person settings.

He felt a sudden lack of control in his body as he turned to look his surroundings in the car. Roman sat across from him at the other window. He was animatedly talking, using hand gestures to punctuate his words, though Patton realized that he could only hear him faintly in this state. Logan sat in the front seat, staring ahead at the car in front of them. Next to him was Joan who drove quietly, letting the others talk amongst themselves. Virgil sat directly behind Patton, his feet propped on the headrest of the seat between Patton and Roman. He had headphones on which signalled to the others that he wasn’t up for conversation at the moment. Remy sat next to Virgil and sipped from a Starbucks water bottle.

Patton turned back to the window, but not before he noticed Virgil looking at him questioningly. He laid his head back and closed his eyes, enjoying the last few minutes of staticky quiet before the car parked.

When the six approached the doorstep, the usual rushing through door didn’t seem as appealing. Instead of rushing to get his books open and continue learning, Logan paused to procrastinate admitting he had been suspended. Instead of barging in to rant about all of the hardships and high points a day of school brought him, Roman decided that today wasn’t about him; today was about his best friends in the world, and he would be there to support them. Virgil was never one to run into anything blind, if he felt safe or not. Remy knew that rushing home wasn’t an option today.

“C’mon, boys. It’s time.”

Joan’s voice sounded so reassuring. What a lie.

Patton slowly opened the door and stepped into the hallway. “We’re home!” He hated the way his voice shook slightly. The six walked down the hallway and to the kitchen where Thomas was bent over, looking through the fridge.

“Hey gang! I think I’m gonna order some burgers or something later; it doesn’t look like there’s much to eat in here.” Thomas said cheerily without looking away from the inside of the fridge. When he did stand Patton could see that he’d noticed the tension in the room. “Is something going on?”

“There was an incident at school today,” Joan stated simply. “How about we all sit down in the living room.”

Once they were all seated, Thomas jumped right in, “There was an incident? What kind of incident?”

“The unfair kind,” Roman muttered under his breath as he folded his arms.

“Now, Roman, it wasn’t totally unfair…” Joan chided.

“What might have been unfair?” Thomas demanded impatiently.

Virgil flinched almost unnoticeablly at Thomas’ raised voice.

Roman frowned.

Logan took a deep breath and prepared himself for Thomas’ reaction. “I was suspended for punching a kid today.”

“You what?”

“It wasn’t his fault!” Roman cut in. “The guy was being a royal asshole!”

“Roman, language! What the heck could have provoked you to punch someone, Logan?” Thomas asked.

“Thomas,” Joan started calmly, “from what I understand, there were circumstances that provoked him, and though they’re no excuse or validation for Logan’s actions, they may explain his reasons. At least give him the chance to explain.”

“The rest of you go do your homework,” Thomas said without looking away from Logan.

“But we don’t have any—“ Roman started.

Thomas held a hand up, unblinking. “Just… go do something… not here.”

Patton stood from his spot on the couch and started to walk to his room, but stopped when he got to Thomas’ side. He only turned his head to look at his sitting guardian as he said, “At least hear him out before you get angry. He’s already lost one thing he was excited about.”

Thomas nodded before Patton continued. Roman followed and touched Thomas’ shoulder, his eyes pleading for him to have mercy. Remy followed Roman, quietly sipping from his cup. Virgil just softly nodded and made his way behind the two.

***

Cameron Peters walked the few blocks from the school to his apartment complex. He felt bad that he had run his dad out of money.

His parents used to be pretty financially stable. Then his mom was killed. Armed robbery turned hostage situation. 

After that, money kinda fizzled out. Groceries were bought from the local dollar store. Gas was conserved, and the car was scarcely used. His dad took on three jobs to pay for school.

The only reason Cameron's dad didn't pull him out was that he thought Cameron had real friends there. He thought tearing Cameron away from them would be the final push over the edge. 

What did Cameron care though? He didn’t have many friends. Some would probably love for him to leave.

Cameron opened the door to his small apartment and set his backpack down by the couch. He went to the fridge to see if there was a snack or something.

“Hey, kid! You have a good day?” his dad called from the bedroom.

“Not really. Don’t you have work? What’re you doing home?” Cameron asked as he made his way to the bedroom. He stopped in the doorway when he saw his dad on the bed. The smell hit him in the face, like he had taken a bath in kerosene. “Why does it smell like that?”

“Decided to call in sick today… You know, no one knows what comes after this…” his dad trailed off.

“Yeah, and you won’t be finding out anytime soon…”

Cameron’s dad fidgeted on the bed and pulled a lighter from his pocket. “It would be so easy though, easier than this.”

“Dad…” Cameron slowly made his way towards the bed, “give me the lighter…”

“I’m sorry.”

The lighter dropped. 

Flames surrounded his dad’s body.

Cameron screamed.


End file.
